model glider

The Model Flight Midway Cup & Victorian F5J State Championships were held at the new Jess Field 15 km east of Horsham over the 6th - 7th of May. Brad and Mike headed across to represent SA.  Cool mornings, freshening winds and the odd light shower aren’t normally associated with a nice weekend of flying, but it made for challenging conditions. The relatively high number of out landings in the adjacent paddocks is testimony to the strength of the sink that was ever-present. The Victorian team retained the Model Flight Midway Cup in a close battle with SA and the NSW team participating for the first time was third.

Theo Arvanitakis flying a Pike Prestige came out on top of the 27 pilots in the Saturday Qualifying rounds. Sunday’s flying was the 15-minute fly-off rounds with the pilots split into 3 groups depending on their

If you’re looking for your first beginner aircraft, you’ve come to the right place. We have received some exciting products this week, including the brand-new Apprentice STS RC Plane from E-flite! Let’s get into it.

The smartest and best trainer RC plane

The E-flite Apprentice is one of the most popular RC trainers on the market today and for good reason - it is easy to fly with great characteristics. E-flite have taken this tried and true trainer to the next level, adding some great features and extra capability - meet the E-flite Apprentice STS. It is available in both Ready-To-Fly and Bind-N-Fly versions.

The E-flite Apprentice STS has been upgraded with Spektrum Smart technology with a Spektrum Smart LiPo battery and an S120

Way back in 2009 Horizon Hobby introduced their first electric powered glider, the ParkZone Radian which was a huge success by any measure. This simple 2 metre, 3 channel foam glider was quick to assemble, light and soared in the weakest of thermals. What more could a budding RC Glider pilot ask for?

Owing some of its design cues to the 1974 Hobie Hawk with an elliptical wing plan form and elliptical dihedral, the Radian has a distinctive look in the sky. Tens of thousands of RC pilots have enjoyed the easy flying characteristics and great soaring abilities of the Radian.

RC glider clubs all over the world hold one model competitions for the Radian including the Southern Soaring League in Adelaide. Up to 20 pilots launch their models on the sound of the hooter and climb under power to 100 metres where the motor is turned off. The task is to fly

A gliding retrospective

Written by Mike O'Reilly

The Model

• Make every effort to have a ‘straight’ model
• This was important when you built your own model from balsa and foam, but modern moulded gliders rarely have warps or heavy panels

Trimming

The whole purpose of the trimming process is to make your glider easy to fly in a ‘hands-off’ situation. The easier it is to fly, the better it will fly. I like my gliders to be neutrally stable so they will fly hands off. This helps you to detect thermals in the first instance and to be comfortable flying your glider a long way downwind.

Tow Hook Position

With very few exceptions the tow hook should be placed in front of or on the CG. The ideal position also depends on flap and elevator presets so there is no definitive position. Moving the hook rearwards will increase the steepness of the climb, but

The last few weeks has seen some exciting additions to the range of model gliders at Modelflight. Today, we will be looking at three of these new gliders, beginning with the KA-3 scale vintage glider from VQ Models. This glider comes with a 3000mm wingspan and is constructed from laser-cut balsa and plywood. The KA-3 is covered in genuine ORATEX covering material. It features a fully-airfoiled V-tail (which can easily be